- Date
- November 5, 1987, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Stamford, CT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9538LCessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871105083389A
- Case key
- 36056
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The instructor (CFI) reported that the aircraft had just reached the top of a climb at 2500 ft when the engine lost power. An off airport landing was made on a golf course. During the landing, the wings struck trees and the aircraft was damaged. The golf course had numerous trees and the terrain was not level. Examination of the engine disclosed the rocker arm assembly for the number 1 exhaust valve had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9538L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 76572
- Airframe hours
- 467
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Panaroma Flight Service, doing business as Panorama Flight
- Registered owner
- Miles E. Weiss
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 1, 1987 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Destination
- ISP · Islip, NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,452 total · 830 in this make and model · 1,250 as pilot in command · 245 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HPN, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.